There are two Snellville cases of alleged sexual abuse by Boy Scout troop leaders, both of which were filed in the 1990s.
The first, identified only as ID 383, involved troop number 553 and was filed in 1990. The second, identified as ID 2795, involved troop number 50 and was filed in 1996.
Three other nearby troops are listed:
- Stone Mountain: 1987, troop 118
- Stone Mountain: 1989, troop 149
- Lithonia: 1986, troop 338
The cases are found on a map included in documents put together by the Los Angeles Times.
The files are known as the "ineligible volunteer" files. After one Pennsylvania man admitted to "acts of perversion" with scouts, he resigned. An executive with the organization wrote the following, as first reported on NBCNews.com:
“If it is acceptable with you, I would like to let this case drop. [He] is undergoing professional treatment in an effort to stabilize his emotional stability. He recognizes that he has had a problem and he is personally taking steps to resolve this situation. The community involved is rather unique and one father has threatened legal action which could only injure the Boy Scouts of America.
Therefore, I would suggest that we let it drop. My personal opinion in this particular case is, ‘if it don't stink, don't stir it.’"
The man was later re-admitted as a leader within the Boy Scouts organization.
For decades, the Boy Scouts of America kept the files as a way to keep volunteers suspected of inappopriate sexual behavior away from children. Many cases were not shared with parents or police.
A psychiatrist who reviewed the files and testified on the Boy Scouts' behalf in the trial that led to the release of the files, found that 60 percent of the cases were already reported in various forms of public documents, including newspaper articles and police reports.
The Los Angeles Times has created a list of the cases by year, city, state and troop number. The newspaper's list includes the time period covered by today's release (1965 to 1985), but also other accusations and documents gathered and released in various court cases.
In some cases, the suspects were convicted of sex crimes. In others, they were only suspected.
The dates are the years a file was begun by the Boy Scouts, not necessarily the year an incident took place.
Child sex predators need to be kept far away from kids forever... BUT, an even more powerful danger is when high ranking officials enable, empower, and cover up these crimes against kids. They need to be held accountable for allowing more innocent kids to be sexually abused. It is and was a crime to sexually abuse a child. Child sex abuse thrives in secrecy and secret systems that allow it to continue to this day. Keep in mind that child predators rarely have only one victim. So if you have been harmed by anyone in the Boy Scouts, Churches, or any institutional setting, your silence only hurts, and by speaking up, contacting the police, and exposing the truth, there is a chance for healing, and protecting others. Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, USA, 636-433-2511. snapjudy@gmail.com, (SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests,) is the worlds oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 12,000 members. Despite the word priest in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers and increasingly, victims who were assaulted in a wide range of institutional settings like summer camps, athletic programs, Boy Scouts, etc.
Even though they are now adults, I will listen to them and try to lead them to still get professional counseling. Who would have ever thought our Priests and Scout Masters would be the ones to damage the heartsf and minds of our precious children, the very kids we parents worked so diligently to teach them right from wrong, stranger-danger, to trust authority and to have respect for their own bodies. Who is it next; the policemen and school teachers and family doctors? Is our entire society corrupt? Has the world gone mad? Or have we all been wearing blinders and missing all this abuse being inflicted on the children of America? May God help us all.